An Egyptian activist chants slogans during an anti president Mohammed Morsi protest in front of the entrance of the Qasr al-Kobba palace, one of the presidentís secondary palaces, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Feb. 15, 2013. Around 5,000 mostly hard-line Islamists protested in Cairo on Friday against a recent wave of violent anti-government protests, while liberal activists staged a smaller demonstration across town to call for accountability and justice from the countryís leaders.(AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

CAIRO (AP) An ultraconservative Islamist adviser to Egypt's president has resigned in solidarity with a fellow aide who was fired amid allegations of abusing his office.

The Monday resignation of Bassam Zarka, who is a member of the Salafi Al-Nour party, is the latest sign of tension between President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist ally months before parliamentary elections.

Zarka dramatically announced his resignation at a live press conference during which his Al-Nour colleague and former presidential adviser, Khaled Alam Eldin, broke down in tears as he denied the allegations that he had abused his office.

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Eldin demanded an apology from Morsi for firing him. The presidency has refused.